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Cheapest Cities to Live in America

Top 100 most affordable metro areas ranked by overall cost of living index (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 data)

The 100 metros below are ranked by their overall RPP — the BEA's blended index of goods, services, and rents relative to the U.S. national average (100). Lower RPP = lower price level. The cheapest U.S. metros tend to cluster in the rural South and Appalachian regions, where rent pressure is mild and labor costs (which drive service prices) sit well below national norms. The cheapest tier (RPP <85) typically pairs Goods near 95-98 with Services near 80-85 and Rents in the 60-70 range — meaning a $100,000 salary buys roughly $115,000 of national-average purchasing power.

What this list doesn't capture: state and local income tax burden (Tennessee and Florida have no income tax, while West Virginia's tops out at 6.5%), housing-quality differences (an "RPP 65" rent metro may have a much smaller average unit than the national mean), or labor-market access (low-RPP metros are typically smaller MSAs with thinner job markets). Pair this ranking with BLS occupational wage data for your specific job before relocating. The companion salary equivalent calculator shows the purchasing-power conversion explicitly.

Most Expensive Cheapest Highest Rents
# Metro Overall
1 Monroe, LA 83.6
2 Eagle Pass, TX 83.8
3 Dothan, AL 83.8
4 Texarkana, TX-AR 84.0
5 Enid, OK * 84.3
6 Hammond, LA 84.5
7 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 84.8
8 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 84.8
9 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA 85.1
10 Wildwood-The Villages, FL 85.4
11 Jackson, TN 85.5
12 Gadsden, AL 85.7
13 Alexandria, LA 85.7
14 Joplin, MO-KS 85.7
15 Hot Springs, AR 85.7
16 Lake Charles, LA 85.9
17 Jonesboro, AR 85.9
18 Fort Smith, AR-OK 85.9
19 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 85.9
20 Johnstown, PA 85.9
21 Lawton, OK 85.9
22 Anniston-Oxford, AL 85.9
23 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 86.0
24 Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 86.1
25 Paducah, KY-IL 86.1
26 Morristown, TN 86.4
27 St. Joseph, MO-KS 86.4
28 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 86.4
29 Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 86.5
30 Grand Island, NE 86.7
31 Grand Forks, ND-MN 86.7
32 Florence, SC 86.8
33 Laredo, TX 87.0
34 Minot, ND 87.0
35 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA 87.1
36 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 87.1
37 Lafayette, LA 87.2
38 Decatur, AL 87.2
39 Dubuque, IA 87.3
40 Youngstown-Warren, OH 87.4
41 St. Cloud, MN 87.6
42 Hattiesburg, MS 87.6
43 Albany, GA 87.7
44 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 87.7
45 Farmington, NM 87.7
46 Brunswick-St. Simons, GA 87.7
47 Tuscaloosa, AL 87.7
48 Terre Haute, IN 87.8
49 Johnson City, TN 87.9
50 Auburn-Opelika, AL 87.9
51 Jefferson City, MO 88.0
52 Rocky Mount, NC 88.0
53 Sumter, SC 88.0
54 Cleveland, TN 88.1
55 Mobile, AL 88.1
56 Muncie, IN 88.1
57 Valdosta, GA 88.3
58 Wheeling, WV-OH 88.3
59 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 88.3
60 Beckley, WV 88.4
61 Greenville, NC 88.4
62 Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH 88.4
63 Decatur, IL 88.4
64 Goldsboro, NC 88.5
65 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 88.5
66 Macon-Bibb County, GA 88.5
67 Springfield, MO 88.6
68 Owensboro, KY 88.6
69 Charleston, WV 88.7
70 Duluth, MN-WI 88.8
71 Topeka, KS 88.8
72 Ames, IA 88.8
73 Mansfield, OH 88.9
74 Pocatello, ID 88.9
75 Wichita, KS 88.9
76 Cedar Rapids, IA 89.0
77 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 89.0
78 Jackson, MS 89.0
79 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL 89.1
80 Rapid City, SD 89.2
81 Tulsa, OK 89.2
82 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 89.2
83 Sandusky, OH 89.3
84 Columbus, GA-AL 89.3
85 Lynchburg, VA 89.4
86 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 89.4
87 Canton-Massillon, OH 89.4
88 Columbia, MO 89.4
89 Longview, TX 89.5
90 Altoona, PA 89.5
91 Wichita Falls, TX 89.5
92 Kokomo, IN 89.6
93 Lima, OH 89.7
94 Montgomery, AL 89.7
95 Victoria, TX 89.8
96 Dalton, GA 89.8
97 El Paso, TX 89.9
98 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 90.0
99 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 90.0
100 Rome, GA 90.2

About This Ranking

The Regional Price Parity (RPP) measures price level differences across U.S. metro areas. A value of 100 equals the national average. Cities below 100 have a lower cost of living than the national average. This ranking shows the 100 metros with the lowest overall RPP, meaning the most affordable places to live in the United States.

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area Index where national average = 100